The National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) vision has been to accelerate the country’s transformation into an information-based society and to position Mauritius as a regional ICT hub. ICT is now considered to be the fifth pillar of the economy.
The Government have employed several strategies in order to develop Mauritius into a Cyber Island, including:
- Making optimum use of ICT in all businesses to achieve global competitiveness, and in the public sector to be more efficient and effective;
- Putting in place:
- a high quality telecommunication infrastructure
- high-tech business park facilities
- appropriate legal framework
- competitive incentive programmes
- human resource development programme to enhance Mauritius’ competitive position as a preferred destination for ICT companies;
- Connecting Mauritius to the South Africa Far East (SAFE) fibre optic network linking Europe and the Far East via South Africa provides immense support to this project
- Introduced the Electronic Transaction Act to promote e-business and e-commerce.
There are a range of packages of fiscal as well as non-fiscal incentives offered to encourage IT firms to start-up businesses in Mauritius. Mauritius also aims to be a venue of choice and a focal point for high technology companies. Mauritius houses the regional headquarters of Microsoft while other international companies such as IBM and HP also have a base in Mauritius.
